The "synthesis" between beauty and effectiveness

[Obi-Juan]

I can't find the serial number. Does anyone know where it is?
I keep the serial number of ALL my bikes for logical reasons: to know that they are mine.

In the 80s, I had a friend whose Vitus was stolen. He went to the police to report it... What??? A Vitus, but 15 million or 300 million frames were manufactured. It's impossible for them to find it.

Well, my friend had the serial number saved and gave it to the police.

After several months, his insurance paid for the bike, since it was stolen from his house.

And four years later, one day the police in Alcalá de Henares stopped a suspicious person riding a bicycle... They took him to the police station and checked the serial number on the frame: my friend's bike!!!
It's absolutely incredible, but true.

So I always save my serial numbers.

 

[Obi-Juan]

And now for something else that's also incredible.
I took apart the headset to replace it with a higher-quality one. You know, it's a YST, and that sounds Taiwanese (boo!) Poor quality, not European, etc., etc., but doing so reminded me of something I've been keeping.
Yes, a 1 1/8 Mavic 316.

I went to look for it, and surprise! It's not that they look alike beyond their peculiar Allen screw-mounted upper cup attachment system; the ENTIRE lower part is the same. IT'S IDENTICAL.

And even more incredible, the YST is 1 1/4, but the lower dust cover fits both the 1 1/8 Mavic and the 1 1/4 YST. The same goes for the bearings; they're the same for both sizes!

The upper cups are already different, even in the positioning of the ball cages.

Anyway, YST may be more general-purpose than Mavic, but if I'm being CONSISTENT with my arguments, I can't change the YST for quality reasons; it's clearly the same or similar to the Mavic. I might change it for "prestige," "name," or because I'm a "snob," but not for the excuse of quality.
Besides, it feels very sturdy and lightweight, so I'd reinstall it (if I'd known, I'd save myself the trouble of disassembling it).

 

[Obi-Juan]

Well, I've made some progress.
The first thing was to get more stainless steel hardware since I barely had any, and replace all the screws on the Marzocchi. That makes it look much nicer. In the process, I was able to tighten them with the torque wrench to the recommended values.

I took the opportunity to change them to an XC 700 that I have in another project in progress.
The fork has been stable since this week, a good sign.

 

[Obi-Juan]

As for the approach, I've decided to scrap the idea of a downhill bike. It's not my strong suit, and I don't have any equipment. Hell, I don't even own a single riser bar!
Well, I think a more enduro or freeride concept would be better for me.

So I've ruled out installing a short-cage derailleur and a 12/25 speed. I did those experiments in the early 90s with an Ultegra derailleur and 11/25 speed on my XC bikes, and crossing the chain was already a problem with a triple chainring.

I think with this bike's weight, it's more appropriate to install a long-cage derailleur and an 8-speed 11/28 speed.
An XT cassette is the chosen one.

 

[Obi-Juan]

I have a Tioga MTB-SK bottom bracket with sealed NOS bearings tucked away in a corner. It's very sturdy with its sealed bearings, so I'll use it here.
A nice, robust-looking Sachs Quarz crankset with a 110 BCD allows me to maintain the essence of the "big" chainrings with a 48.

And of course, if we use the cranks, then we'll get to the rest of the build: Sachs Quarz rear and front derailleur.
Basically, the entire drivetrain is NOS. I must have really liked this bike to put such beautiful parts on it (I have a soft spot for Sachs, I don't use these parts lightly).

The Spinergy Spox wheels I've been using on the Marin Team Titanium while waiting for the final wheels looked like they could be fun. So they're staying put; they've got their project.
I put on some 2.1 Kenda tires... I think they're the most "beastly" thing I have and they give it a brutal look, or so it seems to me, because as I usually use 1.95 and small studs, these tires scare me.

 

[Obi-Juan]

For the pedals, I decided to use Look S2X. Honestly, I think we can say they're almost platform pedals. They're huge, and in that color, they go really well with the cranks and frame.

 

[Obi-Juan]

So, the bike is really progressing little by little.
I hope the handlebars arrive soon, and I'll see if I can find a stem.
For the shifters, I'm looking to use Sram Halfpipes. At the time, Sram thought they'd be more comfortable for downhill riding. I don't know why, but that's what was being discussed.
Also, I plan to use another Sachs Quarz soon with its power grips. Back in '95 or '96, I was racing a Quarz with X-Ray shifters, and I remember it working very well (very hard).

I've also installed a quick-release seatpost. It's the first time I've ever used one, but it seemed more appropriate for a downhill-oriented bike (I know I'll have to trim the extra bolt).